At 9 p.m., both directions of I-35E between I-94 and Hwy. 36 will close.

Drivers will be detoured to I-694 and I-94 to bypass the closures. Roads and ramps are expected to reopen by 5 a.m. Thursday.

The 3.5 million-pound bridge beams and deck will be slid into the new framework. The method hasn't been used in Minnesota before, according to MnDOT. The bridge beams and deck have been built on a temporary structure about four feet north of the existing framework.

Crews will use hydraulic jacks to slip the new bridge and beams onto the support structures. The process is expected to take about eight hours.